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  • Essay / The Dynamic Between Appearance and Reality in a Doll's House

    Henrik Ibsen's “A Doll's House” in many ways addresses the gap between the concept of work itself and perceptions of one's own work. In reality, a person's idea of ​​work may differ from the type of work actually performed. When people think of the word "work," the images that come to mind include physical labor or any type of visible, tangible job or career. However, household chores and production are almost never taken into account. The emotional and mental labor of being placed in a specific gender role is also hard work. There is no monetary compensation involved. Instead, the play's protagonist, Nora, is devoted to the subtle rewards of maintaining appearances, both her own and those of her family. This facade shows how a woman's place at home or at work is based solely on producing a certain image at all times. Women are trapped by society's forced idealistic view of what they should be, and true freedom is compromised when the sense of control and individuality is lost. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of the play, Nora's idea of ​​the work she does is equivalent to the work she is expected to do by her husband, Torvald. However, the game becomes complicated when this division occurs. Nora holds the family's reputation in her words, behavior and actions. She is dedicated to making her husband happy at all costs and even protects him in doing so, much to Torvald's dismay. Keeping up appearances is itself a form of work in this piece and the theme evolves into something largely self-destructive. Nora is oppressed not only by the forces of society and by her own husband. She lives a life that she knows is a lie, and it almost acts like a daily performance. She acts in an unintelligent and childish manner in order to validate Torvald's masculinity and power. The image of the perfect housewife that she represents replaces her individuality and personality with the illusion of a happy family and a husband to envy. Torvald teases Nora and calls her denigrating names like "little squirrel" and "lark". (Ibsen 4). He plays with her emotions by using the promise of money and materialistic objects. In a way, Torvald controls Nora. Although Nora is very well aware of his control over her, she accepts him and her role as subservient and dependent on the man in her life. She succumbs to the victim role and that role becomes her job and her job begins to define who she is. The image she chooses to portray in the name of a good reputation leads her to lose herself and become only an object of affection and Torvald's "trophy wife." Nora perceives her work as a performance. "Your squirrel would run around and do all his tricks if you were nice, and do whatever he wanted...I would play the fairy and dance for you in the moonlight, Torvald." (Ibsen 39). She also uses her physical appearance and takes advantage of her feminine features to achieve her ends. “If your little squirrel asked you something very, very nicely…?” (Ibsen 39). Nora's words confirm that she is playing the role of housekeeper and recognizes that her "tricks" and childish attitude serve to please Torvald. She constantly depends and works on this image of herself and is a victim of the lie itself. The more a person lives a lie, the greater the chance that the lie will consume them. Nora's manipulation ultimately ended up manipulating not only Torvald, but also.